As I write this, July 1 is creeping up like doomsday for many local smokers, and depending on your daily nicotine needs, shows are either going to be a lot more comfortable or a mild pain in the ass. The Mill has been experimenting with nonsmoking shows for some time now, on nights where the […]
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UR Here: Farewell, Mr. Higgins
In Tribute to a Great Iowa Citian: Ron Prosser If you were in the Iowa City Public Library any time before a few months ago, you know who I’m talking about. There’s a good chance he checked out some materials for you, or you at least saw him sitting behind the new library card desk, […]
To Protect Through Fear
The call came at 1:30 in the morning–from a friend in distress. Earlier in the evening we had developed a plan. Anyone could see by that point that the six days of sandbagging would not pay off. He was to box a few valuables tonight to facilitate the move in the morning. The city had […]
Escape the Floodwater Jug Band – Wrong Doings and Done Wrongs CD Review
Escape the Floodwater Jug Band Wrong Doings and Done Wrongs Whiskey for Breakfast Records [audio:Escape the Floodwater – Rag Mama.mp3] Escape the Floodwater – Rag Mama (mp3) It’s perhaps apt that Escape the Floodwater Jug Band’s new album comes out just in time for the great flood of 2008. The band photo on the back […]
The Horde – From Empire to Ashes CD Review
The Horde From Empire To Ashes Scenester Credentials [audio:The Horde – Battle Cry.mp3] The Horde – Battle Cry (mp3) Heavy Metal long ago descended irrevocably into self-parody. It’s a genre that for me has always been hard to love, and yet impossible not to love a little. Especially if the band is in on the […]
Deliciously Fresh
Ask anyone from local and national media to the average customer in Orscheln’s, and you’ll hear how Iowa farmers have taken a hard hit this year. Because of heavy spring rains many never had a chance to plant their corn or soybeans. And the subsequent flooding has ruined many crops already in the ground. However, […]
Home Is Where the Flood Is
On my first trip to Normandy Drive, four months ago, I marveled at the stately old trees and the modest well-kept homes that lined the wide streets. I thought it was the perfect place to buy my first home. When I drove out of my new neighborhood one night—only four weeks removed from sinking my […]
Kirkwood's Ark
In the foyer of Kirkwood’s Animal Health building, it is a scene of day-glo gridlock, a menagerie of humans and animals, all swirling in tightening circles. The plastic-coated official badges meld with hastily written paper name tags. Faces of all ages, sizes and backgrounds move in a busy bustle. The common denominator of this unlikely […]
Iowa City Weekender: July 3-7
Welcome to July and another Iowa City Weekender. We’re expanding this week’s edition to include Monday in order to highlight a Dan Bern flood benefit in Iowa City (details below). If you’re downtown this weekend, there’s no escaping the Iowa City Jazz Festival. But who would want to? It’s Christmas in July for music lovers. […]
Paul's Picks: July 2008
It’s time to highlight a few paperbacks that are unlikely to receive much national attention. Some are published by small publishers, which can’t buy expensive lunches for the New York Times reviewers. Others have been out of print for a while and are being republished on the chance that they might find their audience on […]
Little Village is back!
That’s right Iowa City, your beloved source for news and cultural commentary is back on the racks. After a short hiatus, we have returned bigger and better than ever. We’ve got 8 more pages, more color and now this dandy little blog to boot. I’ve just returned with the very first issue (6,000 of them) […]

